“You ordered a raid on a building down by the docks tonight,” I said.
“That’s right,” he said. He pulled me all the way out into the hall. “The building where the priestess and guardians have been hiding. Her brother was spying on us in the garden this morning. Prince Raio looked like he would cut me down where I stand if he could. I don’t think they’re going to Leonidia at all, not if they were talking to the du Bariens and Raio is with them.”
“Raio is with them? I thought you said he was just in the garden?” I glanced toward the doors into the box. “You let him go…”
“I had to.” He shrugged and then almost laughed. “The guards were not happy with me at all!”
“So where do you think they’re going?”
“To the mountains beyond Pero.”
“Funny, I was just thinking about the bandits,” I said. “I never knew why you were so interested in them.”
“It was thought that they were the descendants of the priestess’ attendants from before the Age of Elders,” he said. “And that they were holding priceless artifacts with great power that belonged to her. They had retreated into the mountains to escape the Elders centuries ago. I might have found an ally in them, but they chose death instead, didn’t they? Ah, well.”
I couldn’t decide if he was taking all of this too seriously or not seriously enough. “I heard there were women in the house during the raid, that some of them may have been killed. Is that what you want to be known for?”
“Oh, no, if everything went as planned they should have been evacuated,” Leonidas said, but I didn’t feel as if he really cared. “Commander, I told you not to worry yourself over all of this.”
“I don’t feel like much of a ‘commander’ right now.”
“Please go home and trust that I’m taking care of the situation.”
Deeply unsettled, I ordered my driver down to the docks instead.
It was easy to find the site of the raid. I could smell the smoke from across the city, but it grew strong near the water, making my eyes water. I had never liked the smell of burning, for reasons that now seemed obvious. I could see from afar that a rather large building had been reduced to a charred husk.
It looked like a fight was going on. “Stop the carriage,” I said at a distance, launching myself out of the door.
A few women were walking away from the building, some of them dressed finely, but all of them smudged with soot or with torn clothes, just as Sir Erren described. “Commander Abel! Is that you? Thank the gods! There is a monster here!” one of the women cried. “A huge monster that escaped the building!”
“A monster?” I asked, feeling more defensive than anything. I had a feeling I knew who this ‘monster’ really was.
Up ahead, I soon spotted Forrest and Prince Raio fighting off some of my men and what looked like a black dragon snapping at men who tried to poke him, but he looked weak. While his head whipped around, his body didn’t move, and Phoebe was huddled against him.
Another dragon…
His scales were the glossy black color of rain-slicked pavement, and the sleek shape of his head and horns was not much like a monster, or even a lizard or snake. It recalled old paintings of dragons as majestic creatures with intelligent eyes, catlike grace, and sleek serpentine forms. He did not have wings; few dragons did.
Is that how I look?
I was jolted by the thought. Even if a dragon was benevolent it was hard for me to think of them as I thought of myself; I was no animal. But I saw it now. Dragons were not like animals at all. Even the way the dragon moved from afar showed that it was a thinking creature.
The bard was playing music and I felt the song brush my ears, compelling me back. Some of the soldiers turned away and started wandering aimlessly in the other direction, but others could resist the enchantment and they were trying to get past Sir Forrest and Prince Raio to the wounded dragon. I recognized the grim determination on Forrest’s face and I knew he was ready to fight to the death.
Suddenly, with a tiny cry, Phoebe’s winged cat swept toward me. Her paws hit my shoulder and she instantly melted against me, rubbing her face all over me.
I was in no way used to this sort of thing. And now Phoebe saw me. Her whole face lit up for half a second, and then it was gone. She didn’t trust me, didn’t dare hope I would help her, and she was wise to realize that.
I felt as if the feet between us were miles. I didn’t know how to breach them. I wished I could see that look on her face again.
“Don’t hurt her!” Phoebe cried, her attention turning away from the carriage wagon that was approaching, probably for their escape.
“Shoo,” I told the cat. “I’m not your owner.”
The cat flew up above my head and hovered in the air for a moment, staring at me. “Brrrow?”
I tried to ignore the creature but it seemed very happy when I walked into the fray. It set down on the ground just ahead of me and kept walking right smack in front of my feet with its tail in the air. I almost tripped on it. This was no way to make an entrance.
“Halt!” I shouted. Some of my men, the ones who weren’t in the thick of fighting, had already stopped to bow to me. “What is going on here?”
“Commander Abel.” Phoebe swallowed.
“I didn’t know about this attack,” I told her.
“Lord Commander, it was His Imperial Majesty’s wish that you were not involved.” Sir Kal approached me. “He feels you were…compromised.”
“Niko’s hurt badly,” Phoebe said to me. I thought it was a strange thing to say, because it wasn’t a plea or an explanation. It was just a statement of fact, as if she thought I cared about Niko, or had the privilege of being able to act upon it even if I did.
I looked back at her. Nothing had changed. I certainly couldn’t help Niko with the entire army watching me.
“You got my letter?” Phoebe pressed, ignoring Sir Kal entirely. “We just need to go to Gaer—that is…Leonidia. Like you told me to do. He needs to heal first. He’s not a monster. He’ll turn back into a human if we can just…have time.”
Everyone was on edge. Sir Forrest and Prince Raio, and Sir Kal and all the men.
Niko looked at me, barely able to keep conscious. “Kassu…we are the same…after all.” His voice purred out between fangs, not human, giving edges to all the words, but I understood them. I’m not sure anyone else did. “You have no kin here…except me.”
Kassu…I know that name. Somewhere deep down…
His eyes shut again, like that was all he had strength for. Phoebe tensed, looking at me.
“I need all of you to stand down,” I said. “Let them go to Leonidia, as ordered.”
“Commander, I’m sorry. That isn’t the order.”
“What is the order?”
“Bring the priestess to the Emperor.” He paused. “Unless…we have no reason to keep her alive anymore.”
Yes. I got the picture. The rest weren’t going to live. But it was supposed to look like anyone’s fault but mine, so Phoebe would still trust me. That was Leonidas’ gift to me.
If I turned on him, Phoebe had no value, and she would die here.
We were surrounded in the street, and beyond that, trapped behind the Emperor’s walls. In this moment, I could die with Phoebe, or I could save her life and my own…but the rest would die, and she would be right here to witness it.
In my bones, I thought—I had to keep her alive. That was my duty above all else. I knew it like my heart knew how to beat. I had to be willing to die for her. But I also had to be willing to kill for her.
As this terrible truth dawned on me, I heard horses charging in. Reinforcements from the city guard? I whirled. Everyone turned to the sound.
It was a posse of private guards in blue and gold, riding beautiful white horses.
du Barien horses, a dozen of them—certainly enough to cause some trouble.
Sir Kal looked stymied. The du Barien guard had never challenged the Bla
ck Army; of course they hadn’t. For all the du Barien power, they would be slain if the rose up against the imperial forces. They shouldn’t have been allowed to keep a private guard at all. But the du Bariens were an awkward exception. They had so much money and so many wealthy friends abroad who would ask questions if something were to happen to them, that Leonidas handled them carefully.
They really must believe in Phoebe and her guardians, to take such a risk now.
This private army circled around Phoebe, pushing back the Black Army. My own familiar soldiers looked to Sir Kal for instruction. I growled. I had been quietly and easily undermined. They all knew that I could no longer be trusted. How quickly years of loyalty could vanish to dust.
“Go, go!” Forrest told Phoebe, the second he realized what was happening. She urged Niko to crawl into the wagon. He was obviously wounded and yet the strength and agility of his form was apparent even as he climbed past the doors, weighing the whole thing down. The du Barien guards protected them while Sir Kal stood frozen with confusion, and then he stammered, “No—no, don’t let them get away.”
“Sir Kal!” Priscilla du Barien came charging into the midst. Ah—that explained some of this. Priscilla had long been content to simmer quietly in the background, but she certainly had a bone to pick with the Emperor. These must be her guards, then. “You will let them go. Unless you want to cut me down with all these witnesses.”
“Madam…this is not your place,” Sir Kal said.
“The Emperor killed my brother—and his priestess. All he left me with was his memory and the burden of the truth. I’ve been quiet for long enough. Let them go, unless it’s a battle you want!”
Lord Kal, with a frown, ordered the men to let the priestess go.
My decision was put off, for at least a moment. Certainly not much more. I knew he would not let this go; the du Bariens would find themselves surrounded by three times as many men, and I would have to stand with the emperor, or against him, once and for all.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Phoebe
Priscilla du Barien took us to Emmaline’s mansion. Niko had remained mostly unconscious and in dragon form for the entire ride, as my fingers traced the burned and melted scales around his face. I couldn’t see the damage in the dark, but now I had time to feel it. I pressed my forehead to his sigil, and I felt only the barest warmth and no sense of desire.
The “carriage” Polaris brought around was actually a delivery cart—wisely, because he would have been too big to fit in an elegant carriage. It didn’t have the best shock absorption, and I cringed as we jolted around.
What would his body look like with all this damage?
“He needs healing,” Polaris said nervously.
“I know!” I snapped. “I’m touching him. I don’t know what else to do.”
Emmaline came out to meet us, wrapped in a robe, surrounded by curious girls. Priscilla’s bodyguards carried Niko into the house. Outside, it was starting to rain as Priscilla calmly said, “As soon I smelled the fire, somehow I knew it had something to do with you, Priestess. I knew you wouldn’t be long for this world.”
“You are so cheerful,” Emmaline said. “I got your message. This is very dangerous.”
“You might as well go along with it now,” Priscilla said. “You’re already implicated enough to anger the empire. I’ve been hiding away with Percy’s portrait for a long time. I assumed no priestess would ever survive, but maybe…there’s a chance and it’s worth taking that chance. Or maybe not, but…”
Rin was holding Gilbert’s hand. Gilbert stepped up to Priscilla now. “Miss du Barien, I think…Percival might have been my father.”
She tugged at her gloves as light rain clung to her hair. “I think so too…”
“Let’s get out of the rain,” Forrest said. “Niko’s already inside.”
“Yes. I need to tend to him,” I said. “I know we need to get going, but until he’s well enough to travel, we’re trapped here.”
Without a party going on, in the evening rain, Emmaline’s mansion seemed rather empty and clammy. She showed me upstairs, where Niko’s body was draped over a bed, his tail dragging on the floor. A dragon spread out over fluffy pink pillows and a floral bedspread… it would have seemed kind of hilarious under better circumstances.
The other guys and the du Barien women had gathered behind me, all of them murmuring about plans and filling each other in on bits of information.
“Niko…?”
When I spoke into his ear, his eye cracked open, but he didn’t even try to speak or move.
“Okay.” I whirled back to the rest of my team. “I’m going to heal him and as soon as I do, we’re getting out of here to find the ornaments and any lingering descendants of the temple maidens, if they exist. At this point, we all agree, right?”
Rin stepped to the forefront and went down on one knee in front of me. His eyes smoldered at me, which was probably just a side effect of being angry about his sister, but it was also a nice effect. “My lady,” he said. “I think you might be the only hope for Gaermon now. I pray that my sister remains safe, but it is to you that I swear my blades.”
Oh heavens, that was adorable.
Gilbert, to be honest, looked like he wanted to jump Rin’s bones right now.
“Thank you very much, honored Prince,” I said, trying to sound as serious as he was.
“And Emmaline and I are going to lend you our guard for an escort,” Priscilla said.
“What about you? Will you be safe, then?” I asked.
“After you leave, we will go to grandpapa’s house,” Emmaline said.
“It’s safer than where you’re going,” Priscilla said. “That is, none of us are really safe at all, at this point.”
Yeah, she really was a delight.
“All right,” Forrest said. “Let’s try and prepare to leave as best we can. I’d like to talk to your guard and make sure they’re aware of what we’re up against and where we’re going. We’ll give Phoebe some space.”
“Thank you…” I gave Forrest a little nod. Gilbert rubbed my back before leaving and I whispered with a little grin, “Nice try, Gil, you’re not even thinking of me, are you?”
He laughed. “I am always thinking of you. Give me some credit that I can think of two things at once.”
“Do you need anything, my lady?” Polaris asked.
“No…thanks.” But as the door shut behind them and I looked at Niko, I felt some distinct apprehension.
It was very unsettling to see Niko barely able to move. Niko seemed particularly invincible. And of course, that wasn’t even getting into the whole fact of him being a dragon, which seemed both unsettling and oddly natural.
His golden eye tracked me as I approached. Gingerly, I ran my hand along his head. By lamplight, his scales had a slightly purple hue that was even more stunning.
“Niko, we’re alone now,” I said. “If you change back, even if you can’t do much of anything, I can heal you. Page thirty-five, right?” I tried to sound casual, like I had no doubt this would all turn out.
He let out a small hiss. “Can’t.”
“I know you might be scarred. I can put out the lamp.” Maybe that was a good idea. I didn’t know how bad he was going to look. It seemed like a crime for anything to mar Niko’s beautiful face. Call me superficial, but I knew he’d agree.
“I wasss dying,” he said slowly. I had to get used to his speech as a dragon—everything sounded like a growl or a hiss, and his fanged, elongated mouth formed some words oddly, but in some ways his dragon voice was even sexier than his human voice. It was so low and powerful, even in this injured state. “The pain was incredible. And then…I transformed. That seemed to reset things in some way, like I had new skin. And I was stronger…able to escape the fire, but I can’t change back. It feels like there is nothing to change back to right now.”
His words slammed through me. I had not expected that. “What do you mean?”
; “You know what I mean.”
“Your body…?” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Had he died, in some sense?
He chuckled, a rumbling and rather sarcastic sound. “I think I know what I need.”
“What is that?”
“I need you, pet—to be a dragon. All dragon, for me.”
I scooted back a little. “But I can’t become a dragon. The other day was as dragon-y as I know how to be. I need the ornaments.”
“Yesss…your power is bound up and that’s that. You see how weak our sigils are together now.” His eyes closed again. “What is there to be said?”
“So that’s it? You don’t want me to…try?” I already knew that was a stupid suggestion. I had tried to kiss his dragon face and that did nothing. The fact that our sigils were so dull now was obviously a hint that human girls were not meant to mate with dragons even to save the dragons’s life. Just looking at him, it was pretty clear that I was couldn’t do much for him. His whole body was about fifteen feet long and from what I could see of his cock, let me just say I was glad this whole priestess magic thing had some sensible limits. There is deliciously intimidating, and then there’s just plain oh hell no.
“I need to rest,” he said. “Much as I hate the thought. I knew some bad luck would come my way when you kept ignoring my dice.”
I groaned. “We’ll just have to leave as soon as you can move. Maybe it’s good to have a dragon on our side. You weren’t the best fighter in the group as a human but you look pretty dangerous now.”
He snorted. “You’ve never really seen me fight.”
I indulged him. “Okay.” I regarded him a moment, his eyes still closed. “You won’t die…will you?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “I won’t die. But I feel like absolute shit.”
“I was so scared,” I admitted, reluctant to leave him even though I think he wanted to be alone. “I really thought you had died and—it was awful. I felt you in pain, and then you just seemed to be gone and I didn’t feel your pain anymore.” I paused, struggling to articulate that moment. “I wanted it to hurt when you died, and it didn’t. I’m glad because maybe that means it would hurt if you actually did die.”
Priestess Bound Page 20